At The End Of The Day

Election Advertising Post Mortem

No matter which side of the fence you were on for gay marriage rights, the "permission" advertising concept is a great one. Executed perfectly in both Ireland and the state of New York, it shows a fresh faced young man asking several people for a woman's hand in marriage.

Here is the Ireland version.

Everything about it hits the targeted undecided voters with a message about love and acceptance wrapped up perfectly with a sincere payoff.

Here is the New York version.

Somewhere, somehow, the Maine Civil Liberties Union screwed it up. Never mind the production values, awful acting and nearly two minute length - the MCLU missed the point of the original ads by casting a woman asking for another woman's hand in marriage.

Here is the horribly botched MCLU version:

The success in the first two ads is based on the difference between what straight couples and gay couples face. No straight person has to ask all of those people, so why should a gay person? Also, any undecided voter will get what's going on right from the get go and not stay tuned for the final message.

MCLU, if you're going to lift a concept, at least add to it.

Codes For a Cause

My name is Lola. And I’m the newest assistant art director at the best place to work in Maine. As the newest member of the Garrand family, and a fellow avid blogger, I was only excited to jump on as a contributing writer to the agency blog. So hello there.

I’m a Mainer at heart but I’ve spent the last 6 years of my life in the South for school. And by south, I mean Virginia and later Atlanta. And by Atlanta, I mean lots of sweet tea, bar-b-q and the occasional minor celebrity rapper run-in. In Hot-lanta, I went to a little portfolio school for advertising that focused on big ideas and even bigger technology. QR codes, smart phone apps, viral videos, oh my!

But what’s the big deal if the technology isn’t used well? What’s the incentive?? Honestly, how many iphone apps are there that are just plain useless? That’s where the big idea comes in.

I like a campaign that boosts some karma points. Columbia Sportswear recently started “A Box Life” where customers can choose a recycled box with their shipping order and can track the box’s “life” online. All of this is done by scanning in a QR code on the box and tracking it’s journey online.

You can share a story, upload pictures and get connected with others. It gives life to something ordinary and mundane… like shipping. And next time little Jimmy makes a fort out of that cardboard box, Grandma wont be the only one who finds it adorable.

So far, this little campaign has saved 234 boxes. An eco-friendly campaign? Check. A good use of a QR code? Check. An incentive to buy more from Columbia? I’m picking out a pair of winter boots right now. That’s how I like my technology.

Overcoming The Odds

Today, October 30, marks 35 years since Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, the "Rumble in the Jungle." While it's a sports note, it is also a landmark in Ali's rise to become a global figure, using sports to find a worldwide following.

It is also a lesson in belief. In your own skills and overcoming others expectations. Everyone expected Foreman to win easily, except Ali.

I Dub Thee Worthy

The Wall Street Journal has just announced it is starting a new service called “Wall Street Journal Professional” which will link its already existing B2B news databases to new online services.

By offering specific in-depth services to a distinct customer group WSJ attempts to broaden their product line. This new service will be priced between the current WSJ and more expensive services such as Bloomberg.

The immediate reaction by some subscribers was that they were not interested in continuing to receive the “Amateur” edition of the WSJ, many threatening to drop their subscriptions. They were insulted, for the most part, and angry at any price increase that would accompany this change.

The venerated WSJ has changed dramatically over the past several years, partly due to the change in ownership to Rupert Murdoch (News Corp) but also in response to the ongoing struggle of the newspaper industry to continue to attract subscribers. Some of the changes have been to add a Personal Journal section, more features, travel, food, areas that give the newspaper a broader appeal.

Does WSJ really know what their paper’s appeal is? How many subscribers actually delve into the technical financial analysis, and how many tuck it under their arms or leave it on their desk as a career accessory? Will creating a “professional edition” by definition make the existing paper a publication for lay people? Are they eliminating more readers with this strategy than they gain?

Just one of the dangers of segmentation of customer base – you have to be careful not just how you define, but how you label.

New Tech Drives Campaigns

The campaign season is heating up in Maine and there are some key issues on the ballot including the Maine Same-Sex Marriage People's Veto, Question 1. This is an effort by opponents of same-sex marriage in Maine to overturn past legislation which authorizes same-sex marriage. Regardless of particular views, the marketing is a fascinating look at the dichotomy between the opposing sides.

As in years past, Brenda Garrand is lending her thoughts and expertise on the marketing initiatives related to the upcoming campaign season to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Along with Sam Surprise, Brenda talks with Irwin Gratz about the political campaigns and how they have evolved in utilizing new technologies.

This segment focuses directly on next month's votes on gay marriage and tax limitations. It is an interesting look at how mobile marketing has changed the game and is bringing issues to a new generation of voters. Like all marketing campaigns, engaging the target (or voter) on their terms and in language they understand is key.

While the younger generation is becoming increasingly comfortable with mobile marketing, there is still an older generation that has not adopted this technology at the same rate. As with all marketing campaigns, you need to understand your audience or your message may never be heard or even accepted.

And don’t we all just want to be accepted?

Mad About Mad Men

I, like many people in our business, love watching Mad Men. It's a Sunday night ritual.

I was not yet in the business when the show takes place, although my father was. I remember him taking me out to lunch and how much people drank during business hours in those days. Martinis flowed like vodka.

I got into the business in the 70s, when people wore jeans and tee-shirts instead of suits and ties. But this past Sunday's episode did strike a chord with me. It was the first episode that tapped into the frustrations and fears of trying to come up with an idea. It also hinted at the competitive nature of the business, and the steady diet of late nights. It was the first episode where I felt it might have actually been written by someone from an agency creative department.

I remember all too many nights of looking out at the New York skyline all afire with lights. It's a very beautiful and romantic image. But the truth is that I would have preferred to be at home with my wife and children. Of course, if I had to come home to a vapid zombie like Betty, I might have thought otherwise.
And oh yeah, that thing about forgetting a good idea because you didn't write it down-- painfully true.

Sunny Side Up?

Both Bank of America and General Electric recently launched advertising campaigns that hint at growth and recovery with optimistic messages about the economy. While I do believe that these big companies can help shape public opinion, and that advertising no doubt is the right vehicle to do so, it seems a bit hypocritical to me. Didn’t BoA contribute to the economic woes?

Furthermore, BoA and GE recently reported third quarter losses, a clear indication of the damage caused by this recession and proof of just how delicate our economy remains. To quote The New York Times, “General Electric, Bank of America and other companies are using commercials to proclaim that America’s future is bright. And that may be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

I tend to agree.

What A "Best Place to Work" Means

You may have seen news items about companies named "Best Places to Work" or "Family-Friendly Places to Work." I can now, with authority, explain what that means.

A "Best Place To Work" is a creative, open environment. It should have open idea sharing, flexible work spaces, free-flowing information, regular training or practice-improvement, a dash of sense of humor about its business and a commitment to more than its own self-interest. It also should have a continuing drive to deliver excellent work, accountability to those standards, a respect for and commitment to customers, and a leader who sets a direction, leads, but also lets others drive, because she (or he) trusts them to do so. It's not all fun and games at a "Best Place To Work."

These qualities will not all manifest themselves in the same fashion at any company so honored. Depending on the business, and the personality of the company, these may come out in different ways. But it results in committed employees who feel like they have a stake in the company's success.

I can now speak with some authority on this subject because I work at the Best Place to Work in Maine for 2009. The agency business has come a long way since Mad Men. While I love that show, I doubt that many of the employees outside of management there would consider Sterling Cooper a "Best Place to Work."

What's next is to continue to build on this, and make sure our clients consider us a "Best Place to Do Business."

Media Closings Caused By The Recession or a New Business Model?

Word comes today that Gourmet Magazine is the latest victim of the recession. One of the tragedies of this recession is the closing of good businesses. In media, Domino and other good magazines have closed because of lack of advertiser support. Or, perhaps, for a different reason.

Occasionally for popular media, viewer or reader movements have stopped closings. Gourmet is certainly popular among its readers. It's the advertisers who aren't supporting it. But, subscribers don't pay enough to keep the business viable. For readers to save Gourmet, they'd have to show advertisers their value. They'd also have to pay more for content. Read the comments in the NY Times note about the closing. Many love the content, and love getting more information online.

Current media models show that consumers love content, but don't love paying. High quality content costs money. Through mass selection, good content still comes through, but filtering is required to find it. Through this model, Gourmet doesn't work as a business. What if Gourmet recreated itself only with editors, who did nothing but surf the internet for highest quality food content that is Gourmet-worthy? This sounds like a Google model. Ouch.

Mass Media Still Sells

Even before the first month of the NFL regular season, NBC has already sold 65% of its in-game Super Bowl inventory!

With Super Bowl XLIV more than 5 months away, that leaves just 22 of 62 spots left . Act now and one could be yours for just $2.8 million (A bargain-- down from and average of $2.9 million in 2009!)

If you are looking for premium placement in the first spot in a commercial break- you are out of luck, those are already completely sold out. Advertisers confirmed to have already purchased Super Bowl spots include Pepsi, Careerbuilder.com and Anheuser-Busch.

Ashton Kutcher Has A Special Purpose

Ashton Kutcher was the closing speaker at the IAB MIXX conference in NY last week. He was positioned as a celebrity that understood and was advancing the cause of social media. I was not impressed. Other presenters at the conference were thinking ahead of him and his company, and had a better vision of where all online media is going. Rather than hear my rant, you can read about his presentation (and my comment) on the Microsoft Advertising Blog.

Ashton's hobby is not without merit, however. What he did with Twitter will help mainstream several forms of new media that suffer from fragmented audience and a failure to "Cross the Chasm" into true mass media.

Ashton Kutcher is popular. There is no doubt. People watch what he does. So, when he says he is embracing short form video as an authentic expression of brand that, when honest, will resonate with people, masses will follow. One of the best things to happen to Twitter was Ashton's race with Oprah and CNN to 1 million followers. His involvement will help here as well.

I expect that other companies may not get the credit for breaking ground where Ashton Kutcher is riding the coattails. But I do expect that audiences will find the quality content once Ashton opens their eyes to some of the new things that are out there. Then, it's up to the content creators, and us, to keep them there. I don't expect them to stick with Ashton Kutcher for too long.

A Media Catfight

Catfighting can turn ugly. But, you can't help but watch, or even be entertained. Some of this is happening now, thanks to statements from Guy Kawasaki, concerning Twitter, that he made at a Search Engine Strategies conference in New York in March. If you haven't heard of Guy or Twitter, you might stop reading now.

Net of Guy's comments. Does he use ghost tweeters? Yes. Does he use Twitter for marketing? Yes. Are you shocked? Apparently, some people in the media business, including marketers and digital media experts, were.

Some reactions:
He thinks Twitter is a tool. I think Guy is a tool.
Is Guy Kawasaki singlehandedly ruining Twitter?
Guy Kawasaki: Twitter Spammer

You can read more of the saga, with links to the original sources of all of these comments, at the Clix Marketing PPC Blog, run by David Szetela, owner, blogger and Twitterer.

To allow equal time, Szetela interviewed Guy on his PPC Rockstars radio show on WebmasterRadio.FM. If you missed it, as I did, you can read all the Twitter comments at #PPCRockstars. They are astounding, as many for their cattishness as anything else. Samples:

Is this a Guy hanging? This is like knocking batteries off shoulders
Guy picks on SEO experts who can't create content but uses ghostwriters...WTF!
Ask him if spamming twitter users for traffic is a business plan Garage would invest in

And one that sums it up:
WTF is everyone so wound up about? It's a frackin radio show.

Yikes people. Twitter has many uses. One thing I like is how it's infinitely customizable to a user's need. Create the network you like, that's relevant to you. Don't be so naive as to think you won't come across marketing. This isn't Facebook, you know.

Pre-Earth Day Ideas

Our client, HP Hood, has a newsletter with some tips on sustainability. These are good and easy. One is also relevant to tax day (ugh).

1. Change the default margins on your word docs from 1.25" to .75" Save 5% on paper, especially for multi-page docs (also makes it easier to do those "one pagers").

2. E-file and get an e-refund. You use much less paper. Check paper in particular is high quality and uses a lot of resources.

3. Move your refrigerator away from the wall. Air circulation around the coils makes it work more efficiently.

4. Park your car in the shade. Your car is cooler, and fuel doesn't evaporate in the tank as quickly when the tank is cooler.

Bonus Quiz - when was the first Earth Day celebration?

Can Twitter Create Colleagues?

When I do presentations, my toughest audiences are usually my own internal colleagues. They know when I'm saying something important or just giving them the usual. They have very sensitive BS-meters.

Yesterday, I sat through a webinar on using web 2.0 to create loyalty, presented by American Marketing Association and Vovici. Of course, there was a dedicated Twitter feed.

Besides the usual repeats of presentation material, there was also interesting back and forth side comments that colleagues usually keep to themselves. Some of them questions, some were the usual side, and snide, comments, some highlighting good points, and some the BS-meters going off.

I'm finding I like using Twitter feeds to hear the side conversations, as long as they are comments and not just repeats of the presentation. I'd recommend Twitter for that if nothing else.

In A World Where Godfather Quotes Are Copy...

What's with The Godfather quote in the promos for the new Russell Crowe movie, State of Play? Have Godfather quotes become that ubiquitous? The line in the promo is, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." I'm hoping there are some royalties due on that one.

State of Play only joins other movies that quote, liberally or not, from one of the greatest films of all time. Two that come to mind immediately are Ocean's 13 and You've Got Mail. Can you think of others?

The Man Behind the Package

Newsweek has a story in the current issue about Peter Arnell, the man who designed the Tropicana package, and who is currently suffering tremendous angst as he goes about blaming everyone else for this.

To read this story, one sees all of the worst qualities of people in advertising, all rolled into one neat package. I am very happy myself to work in a place where passion is for the work, and for the client's business success, not for the self-promotion.

Also, to read this story, one (at least me) sees writing with little checking, reporting without question (reference the part about the random man on the street who loves the Tropicana package) and the kind of piece that makes one question what purpose the report serves. Not their best work.

Blog Activity

When you're busy, you don't blog as much. I don't Tweet as much either.  Less than once a day now.  I will though, I prommise.

About Face

Remember that crummy package from Tropicana? They pulled it. I wonder how much that cost? Actually, I can make an educated guess, but I wouldn't want to embarass anyone.

Award shows

On the same day as the Oscars, I attended the Interactive Advertising
Bureau conference and saw their sales excellence awards. It made me
think, would someone with no stake in your award care about who wins
or why? If not, think about why you're giving out the award.

Sent from my iPhone Jonathan Hutter Garrand

Don't Taze Me Bro!

The man who invented the Taser gun has died. The obit from the NY Times is here. A fascinating piece of trivia is in the 6th paragraph. Where the name of the device came from. Post your guess if you want, before you look at the answer. I believe you have no chance of guessing correctly.